A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of

hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

. In the

Judeo-Christian The term ''Judeo-Christian'' is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism, Christianity's recognition of Jewish scripture to constitute the Old Testament of the Christian Bibl ...

tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

, who is traditionally believed to have composed many of the

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of B ...

. The term hymnodist, in the United States more than in other regions, broadens the scope to include the study of hymns.

History

Early Church and Middle Ages

Many hymn writers in the early Church gained prominence and achieved

canonisation Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sai ...

. Saint John of Damascus ( or 676 – 749) was noted for his work as a hymn writer; some of the most popular English hymns which are translations of his works include ''Come ye faithful, raise the strain'', ''Let us rise in early morning'' and ''The day of resurrection'', all associated with the season of

Eastertide Eastertide (also known as Eastertime or the Easter season) or Paschaltide (also known as Paschaltime or the Paschal season) is a festal season in the liturgical year of Christianity that focuses on celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. P ...

and all translated by

John Mason Neale John Mason Neale (24 January 1818 – 6 August 1866) was an English Anglican priest, scholar, and hymnwriter. He worked on and wrote a wide range of holy Christian texts, including obscure medieval hymns, both Western and Eastern. Among his mo ...

. Most early hymnists were anonymous, so it is uncertain how many of them were women. Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) is the earliest known female hymnist outside hymnists recorded in the Bible.

Post-Reformation

Many leaders of the Reformation, including

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

(1483–1546) himself, were hymn writers; Luther's work included "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" ("

A mighty fortress is our God "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" (originally written in German with the title "") is one of the best known hymns by the Protestant Reformers, Protestant Reformer Martin Luther, a prolific hymnwriter. Luther wrote the words and composed the hymn ...

") and " Christ lag in Todesbanden (Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bonds)". Lutherans continued to compose hymns, and some of the popular hymn writers of the 16th and 17th centuries included the three

saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...

commemorated in the American Lutheran Calendar of Saints on 26 October: Philipp Nicolai (1556–1608), Johann Heermann (1585–1647), and

Paul Gerhardt wikisource:The New International Encyclopædia/Gerhardt, Paulus, Paulus or Paul Gerhardt (12 March 1607 – 27 May 1676) was a German theologian, Lutheranism, Lutheran minister and hymnodist. Biography Gerhardt was born into a middle-class fam ...

(1607–76).

Michael Praetorius Michael Praetorius (probably 28 September 1571 – 15 February 1621) was a German composer, organist, and Music theory, music theorist. He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of ...

(1571–1621), and Johann Crüger (1598–1662) also gained renown as German Lutheran hymn writers of that era. In the English-speaking world, the art of writing hymns was brought to prominence by the approximately 750 hymns composed by

Isaac Watts Isaac Watts (17 July 1674 – 25 November 1748) was an English Congregational minister, hymn writer, theologian, and logician. He was a prolific and popular hymn writer and is credited with some 750 hymns. His works include " When I Survey th ...

(1674–1748), followed by the almost tenfold Watts' output composed a generation later by co-founder of

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Charles Wesley Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788) was an English Anglican cleric and a principal leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. His works include "And Can It ...

(1707–88).

Nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries

Major modern publishers include the Jubilate Group and

Stainer & Bell Stainer & Bell Limited is a British music publisher, specialized in classical sheet music. History Stainer & Bell was founded in 1907. In 1917, Stainer & Bell was appointed publisher of the Carnegie Edition. Stainer & Bell acquired Augener ...

in the UK; CanticaNOVA Publications, World Library Publications and Oregon Catholic Press in the US; and Willow Publishing in Australia. Leading British hymn writers have included

John Henry Newman John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English Catholic theologian, academic, philosopher, historian, writer, and poet. He was previously an Anglican priest and after his conversion became a cardinal. He was an ...

(1801–1890),

(1818–1866),

Timothy Dudley-Smith Timothy Dudley-Smith (26 December 1926 – 12 August 2024) was a bishop of the Church of England and a noted hymnwriter. He wrote around 400 hymns, including "Tell Out, My Soul". Early life and education Dudley-Smith was born on 26 December 19 ...

(1926–2024), Michael Perry (1942–96), Michael Saward (1932–2015), Christopher Idle (born 1938), Fred Pratt Green (1903–2000), as well as James Quinn (1919–2010) and Brian Foley (1919–2000). More recent evangelical hymn/songwriters have included Stuart Townend (born 1963), Keith Getty (born 1974) and his wife Kristyn Getty (born 1980). Other modern hymn writers include French-American Lucien Deiss (1921–2007) and Australian duo

James McAuley James Phillip McAuley (12 October 1917 – 15 October 1976) was an Australian academic, poet, journalist, literary critic, and a prominent convert to Roman Catholicism. He was involved in the Ern Malley poetry hoax. Life and career McAuley w ...

(1917–76) and Richard Connolly (born 1927). In the 21st century, Lu Xiaomin composed over 1,800 songs of praise for Chinese house churches, called the Canaan Hymns.

Hymn writers who have been canonised

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Catholic

* Saint Ephrem the Syrian (28 January) * Saint Hierotheos the Thesmothete (4 October) * Saint Cosmas the Melodist (14 October) *

Saint Romanos the Melodist Romanos the Melodist (; late 5th-century – after 555) was a Byzantine Empire, Byzantine hymnographer and composer, who is a central early figure in the history of Byzantine music. Called "the Pindar of rhythmic poetry", he flourished during ...

(1 October) * Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (14 June) * Saint Kassiana the Hymnographer (7 September) * Saint John of Damascus (4 December) * Saint Stephen the Sabaite (nephew of John of Damascus, feastday 28 October) * Saint Theodulph of Orleans (18 December) * Saint Hildegard of Bingen (17 September) *

Saint Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest, the foremost Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the Western tradition. A Doctor of the Church, he wa ...

(28 January

r 7 March R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars''. The lette ...

* Saint Robert Southwell (21 February) * Saint Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori (1 August) * Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman (9 October)

Lutheran

* Philipp Nicolai (26 October) * Johann Heermann (26 October) *

(26 October)

Anglican

(7 August)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Hymns Occupations in music * Songwriters